Report on the Seminar in Comparative Museology

Museum-formation in China, the Middle East, the Balkans and in Diaspora

P H O T O S

Case Studies in Comparative Museology took place at the Department of History of Art, University of Oxford, on June 8th 2007. The daylong seminar brought together eight museum curators and academics from various institutions to consider aspects of museums’ development in the Middle East, the Balkans, China and in Diaspora.  

All speakers shared the common background of having conducted extensive field research in the countries whose case studies they presented; half of them also had many years of curatorial experience at a number of prominent institutions. They were (in order of presentation): Homa T. Nasab (University of Oxford), Eleanor Robson (Cambridge University), Mahmoud Hawari (University of Oxford), Helen Walasek (The Bosnia Institute), Tim Stanley (Victoria and Albert Museum), Chengxi Dong (School of Oriental and African Studies), Oliver Watson (The Ashmolean Museum), and Jenny Gaschke (The National Maritime Museum).

The event’s co-organizer, Homa Nasab, began the seminar with a paper on the foundational history of museums in Iran. She illustrated the topic of her doctoral dissertation with a large body of primary source material including newspaper articles and archival photographs. Eleanor Robson spoke about the ways in which the Iraq Museum in Baghdad has “always and unavoidably been a barometer of the modern Iraqi state.” She explored the notions of Modernity and Antiquity as represented in the Iraq Museum by combining her extensive scholarly and field research with quite current information on the institution’s status.

During the second session, Mahmoud Hawari discussed his research on the Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem. His paper explored the “juxtaposition of the historical and the modern in the museum’s design.” Hawari elaborated on the way that the Tower’s design as a “museum without objects” has posed a combination of interpretive challenges. According to this archaeologist, “the fact that the Citadel’s own history is not presented and interpreted in detail is essential to the credibility of the history exhibited.”

Helen Walasek presented a detailed history of the formation of The National Museum of Bosnia-Herzegovina. She considered the museum’s creation as “the first scientific research institution in Bosnia” which laid the foundations of a tradition of scholarly inquiry in the fields of pre-history and archaeology.   

Chengxi Dong began the afternoon sessions with a paper on the early museum history in China. Dong discussed Western style developments as reflected in the formation of museums during the late 19th and early 20th centuries based on her work for a doctoral thesis. Some of the topics which she presented included the establishment of museums by foreigners and those created by Chinese.

Tim Stanley told the rich history of the V&A’s collections and galleries of Islamic Art. The Museum’s Senior Curator for the Asian Department brought his well-illustrated talk up to date with the recently inaugurated (July 2006) Jameel Gallery of Islamic Middle East.

The late afternoon session continued with presentations by Jenny Gaschke and Oliver Watson. Gaschke introduced the National Maritime Museum’s collections of Middle Eastern navigational instruments. She also talked about a rare group of orientalist seascapes by Edward Lear from the Prints and Drawings collection. Watson gave an engaging lecture on the latest approaches to collecting in the Middle East. He used the formation of private collections in Qatar as a case study to graph recent and forthcoming trends in collecting and curating in the region.

All speakers very closely met the program’s 35 minutes timeframe per talk; each session of two papers was followed by a 30 minutes discussion period. The Seminar was attended by audiences of up to 40 (maximum capacity) students and senior staff from a number of Departments at Oxford University (History of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Politics, and the Oriental Institute). There were also academics, curators and an artist from the Pitt Rivers Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, the British Museum, the Courtauld Institute of Art, and the Warwick and Leeds Universities. Majority of participants attended the entire program. The event was made possible thanks to the generous support of a private donor in Boston, MA (USA).

The Seminar’s proceedings will be published by the Duke University Press journal of Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East (http://cssaame.com/). Homa Nasab will serve as guest editor of the special issue dedicated to Comparative Museology.

Very many thanks to all speakers, those who attended, and everyone who provided their support!

 *          *          *

Email responses from some of attendees:

“A great line-up of speakers. I can't remember when last I went to such an event where ALL the speakers were good.”

“Thanks for organizing the event. I think the one day one room format works far better than the revolving door panel sessions of large conferences.”

“That was a most enjoyable and informative occasion. Might I encourage you to organize more conferences that explore the cultural history of museology?”

“It was a great pleasure for me to take part in the in the seminar and to hear feedback

on my research. All in all the event was a great success... Most of the presentations were very interesting and informative, and the discussions afterwards were good.”

“I thought the seminar was excellent, particularly as it provided museological case studies from around the world and over time.  I think it is interesting to look into aspects of agency in the formation of museums -i.e. The role of individuals as philanthropists, or political or ideological strategists, or simply obsessive collectors.”

Of course, from a practical and ethical point of view it might also be important in the future to consider the role that museums can play in helping reconstruction and training those most in need of assistance - i.e. presently Iraq.”

“Things that I liked (even little things)

1) signs to point to the right rooms (for those who are not familiar with the building)

2) great choice and presentation of food and refreshment

3) overall dynamics and the number of attendees

4) how [the conveners, Homa T. Nasab and Marius Kwint] facilitated the event ON time. I liked the way you summed up at the end of each speaker to provide a good transition to the next presentation, and how you provided a relaxed atmosphere towards the end of the day

5) overall quality and breadth of presentations

6) outing to the Quod [restaurant] (nice choice)

Things that can be improved (can be beyond your control)

1) technical issues---need to find out tech compatibility of each

presentation ahead of the event. I know this from my own experience working with audio/visual at conferences

2) registration for those who show up later [needed more attention]

3) cannot really think of anything at this point. Will let you know if I do.”

 (Please check back for further updates...)